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Intro Log: November & Event: Nothing to Be Drone About It
I. ARRIVAL
A moment later, you feel a tug, and you find yourself stumbling into a dark, musty room. Behind you, a mirror stands ornately decorated with reminders of home wrought in brass and wood: the faces of people you know, and symbols important to you; all things that send a pang through your chest with the desire to return to them. Touching the mirror's surface does nothing but leave the stain of your fingerprints. When you turn to survey the room, you find there are hundreds of other mirrors. None of them are as decorated as yours - they're plain and dusty, speckled with age. Then you realize a second thing: You're not alone. Distantly, the ringing bell of a clocktower can be heard. But no matter its distance, the time is clear to make out: it chimes three times, stark, resonating like a pulse of something in this mirrored hall that you and others have found yourselves in, along with... several items, perhaps even creatures scattered across the floor around other mirrors? For those familiar with magic, they might feel the power of the witching hour upon them, though it will feel different from what they're used to - in fact, everything does. You're certainly not the only ones here, however. On the first floor, with the doors wide open behind them in the foyer, is a small group headed by two individuals. As people begin to arrive, to come from the higher floor, they're waiting - and they're waiting for you, and your questions. Explore the rest of the mirrored halls you've now found yourselves in, or proceed to the foyer? Leaving the Looking-Glass House makes it obvious that the clock striking three was for 3 AM - the night sky is faintly cloudy, but the stars are dim in the face of two moons. The Looking-Glass House is rather nondescript two-story cottage made of grey brick, sitting at the edge of The Coven's courtyard; stones which glow as you step on them mark the path to and from the two buildings. While fairly small and plain on the outside, the inside has been enchanted to be the size of a large library, with hundreds upon hundreds of mirrors hanging, standing, and resting inside its walls. Some are broken, some are cracked, and some seem completely uninjured - but all of them are just as plain as the cottage itself, showing age in the silver beneath their glass and in the greening of their metals... Well, all except a character's personal mirror; to characters, one mirror - the one they came through - will be decorated lavishly with metal-and-wood-wrought reminders of home, and the surface will be as clear as a brand-new mirror. |
II. THE WELCOME PARTY
"Just a few of you this month, hm? Don't mind the junk across the floor where you came out, someone is sorting that!" The woman sets her hands on her hips, with her Bonded casting a glance at those looking confused - newly arrived - and those who may have followed them in to talk to the newest addition of their mirrorbound bunch. "About time for introductions though- this here's Mhairi Ainsley, ambassador to the Parliament and my Bonded, and I'm Nerissa Bell, Head Witch of the Coven - but you can just call me Miss Nessie, you can," she adds, winking. "The lot of you must be as tired and confused as the last batch - hullo to those who've joined us, too! - so just a moment, dearests, I'll set all you right up—" With nothing more than a wave of her hand, rows of seats are summoned; despite their wooden nature, they're all sturdy and comfortable, filling the foyer and spreading out a ways into the lawn behind them, making room for all of the new arrivals as well as the previous batch. After all, they'll find this just as interesting. The Witches and Monsters that accompanied Nessie and Mhairi move to make room, and some disperse into the building itself to see if there's anyone who needs tending to. Mhairi steps forward as the chairs materialize. "Please, those who are able, join us for a moment. There are many questions that I'm sure you have - we will do our utmost best to answer them, and you may take any that we can't as a promise to find some sort of solution or answer." NOTE: If you wish to interact with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here for a handwaved, summarized answer to your character's burning questions. For those that'd like a more player-based interaction, Aefenglom has its own Welcome Wagon! These are players who've volunteered for the role, and those that didn't sign up may assist as well if they'd feel their character would -- have fun, and make friends. Additionally, those with notable injuries or sickness will be attended to ASAP by Coven-based witches, and should anyone be curious about what they are - if they have magic potential, or if they swing a different way - then this can be done during this and the general hour or so the new arrivals are within the Coven's grounds. There are ongoing classes on magic, monsters, and Bonding as well, though they take place more during the day than at night - feel free to have your characters attend them at any time! |
III. THE HAVEN
As you're leaving with a few Bonded for guides, peculiar-looking devices - watches, the native Witches explain, compliments of Parliament - are passed around to all the new arrivals; they're given a quick rundown on their functions and bid to test them out when they can. They can even do it as they make their way out of the Coven's courtyard and to the Haven. Formerly part of the Aristocratic District, The Haven is just as well-kept and brightly-lit as the district it hails from. The houses err on the tall and ornamental-side, large enough to fit several families (or, according to the upper class, their one family, several dozen servants, and guests), especially closest to the Aristocratic District. They become a little more modest and smaller as one gets away from the realm of high society and nearer to the Residential District proper. Newcomers are shuffled here and invited to find somewhere to live - the Coven is currently handling expenses for the houses themselves in a program implemented by the Parliament, though if your character wishes to have anything extra - like maids, chefs, and so on - they'll have to pay for them themselves with their own earned money. Much of the landscape and fixtures are the same as in the Aristocratic Districts, though it lacks formal emergency services due to its roots as part of a district that already did. Much of the housing already has furnishing due to the speed at which homeowners were relocated; they were given enough time to collect their valuables, but standard furniture such as kitchenware, couches, beds, etc. were left behind for those moving in. Other houses appear the same, but the dust on the floors suggest these houses were left before the new arrivals even showed up - a reminder that the Cwyld can strike just about anyone, regardless of standing. Another portion of this district has been opened up to the new arrivals: the barracks, the row of buildings pressed against the very edge of the Bright Wall. As the city's military force no longer has the same presence it previously did, the barracks have gone into disuse, and a cleanup effort has been in place since before the new arrivals came through the Looking-Glass House. For those who desire something a little less opulent, the barracks might just be the answer. The barracks can also be used for business, for a welcome center, a communal space, for anything that the residents of the Haven see fit to use it for - so long as the legality isn't questionable, on the surface. To help with filling up the larger houses - and even some of the smaller ones, and the shared rooms in the barracks - the Witches put together a little roommate finding service, on a smaller scale from the grand opening of the Haven. For those who aren't entirely sure who they want to shack up with, they have a small survey for them to fill out and post on the board they've magicked up in the center of The Haven. The board also very helpfully reads aloud each form for everyone to hear in a cheerful, monotone voice. It isn't able to be shut up, nor is it easy to ignore, being imbued with a kind of amplification magic. It reads simply the information you've offered up yourself, or that someone might have written up for you, should that be their idea of fun. |
IV. Nothing to Be Drone About ItWhile a handful of mirrors in the Looking Glass House at 3 am on the 15th spat out people - new Mirrorbound or perhaps returned Mirrorbound - many other mirrors poured forth items or small creatures, all on their own. The night cleaner resigns himself to a long night as he has to deal with mess and confused folk, but he isn't terribly surprised. It was around this time last year that something similar happened with the mirrors. They may not understand it, but it looks like it may be a pattern, relics of the Mirrorbound's lives reaching out to them from home as gift or curse. The night cleaner fetches Miss Nessie to handle the arrival of a handful of new Mirrorbound, and then returns to start tidying up everything else. Luckily, she assigns him some help in the form of a young Witch named Emmelie, eager to prove herself. Not wanting to crowd the Looking Glass House, in the ensuing hours, she turns to an invention of hers to sort out the stuff littering the room with the mirrors. The goal, of course, is to get each item back to its rightful owner, and she firmly believes in better living through magic innovation! Unfortunately, it becomes clear fairly soon that Emmelie's brass flying saucers, which she had hoped would effortlessly deliver each item based on magical signature matching, could use a little... fine-tuning. The big saucers complete with six segmented mechanical 'arms' to hold the cargo in place are persistent as they zip around the city, often trying to take the shortest path to their programmed destination - whether it means they bump endlessly into barriers such as walls, get stuck on rooftops or in the River Temese, or knock over people, natives and Mirrorbound alike, who happen to be in their flight path. Some of them end up at the wrong Mirrorbound, and bump incessantly into them until they take the offered item, uncaring if they're who it belongs to or not. Of course, some deliveries go smoothly, exactly as they are intended to, but... they're in the minority. By the early afternoon, Emmelie is sending out a voice message that can be heard by Mirrorbound anywhere in the city, her young voice panicked as she explains what happened with her inventions and your mementos of home, adding at the end: "Ahh, it's such a mess! Look, you've got to help me, and please don't tell Miss Nessie, she'll never trust me with anything important ever again! I'll owe all of you so much if you'll just help find and return everything to where it needs to go!" |
Welcome to November's combo Intro Log and event! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs. The network system is free to use once characters have their watches as well; information on that can be found at the bottom of the Setting page, while any extra questions about it can be found in the FAQ index. Quests can be picked up as well right over here at November's Quest Pickup thread. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans, let the mods know and if you have any questions about the log, ask them here!
julian devorak / the arcana / witch
( you know? it's quite jarring to go from turning to look in the last mirror he might ever look in again to falling into it and out of another one. all he had done was tap the surface to wipe away a smudge, frowning at the dissatisfied and anxious reflection looking back at him, and... down she goes.
and now here he is. the moment of shock, confusion, and then unsettling apprehension has come and gone in the first few moments of his arrival. here julian stands, with a very familiar raven perched on his shoulder (how on earth did he get here, that's a question for later), in a room full of many more than the last mirror he might ever look into again. he's already tried touching the glass, yes, and pushing on the frame, and circling around it, and all that. he has already stopped to cant his head and count the bells aloud, to himself: one... two... three... and wonder what precisely they're heralding. he hmms and crosses his arms. brings one hand up and rubs his chin thoughtfully. hmm, nope. don't like that, whatever it is. he takes a big step back from his mirror—and bumps right into one of his fellow new arrivals. )
Whoops, pardon me. Terrible time to be clumsy, isn't it? Room full of mirrors. Just imagine all the bad luck we'd be in for!
( ii. in which denial is but the first step on the path to acceptance )
( while a vast majority of the small crowd gathered here tonight may be grappling with their arrival and the news of their little burdens with measures of distress, worry, refusal and the like, julian... seems to have taken a different approach. seems to, because in reality he feels like he's absolutely lost his marbles. this most be some sort of elaborate side-effect of traversing the magic realms. some kind of dream, a spell, a hoax, a prank one of his friends is playing on him, something. the news he's received tonight is as thoroughly impossible as... well... as anything he can think of, and he's got a big imagination.
but on the surface you'd never know it for how he acts. cheerful as can be, chatting up anyone who passes by. maybe laughing a little too easily, in fact. it isn't the kind of smiley attitude that belies a good mood, necessarily, either. it's playacting. it's almost sarcastic. a sure, jan by any other name. eventually, when playing along all finally proves to be too much for him, he confesses utterly unbidden: )
It's horsefeathers, you know? I mean—magic? Me? Hah! No. It's all acting, my dear. We're being taken for a ride. Best just to go along with it and see where it takes us without getting carried away, hmm? Don't worry.
( and yet a subtle note of desolation is present there in that bold statement and on his roguish, grinning face. he's not that confident at all in what he says, is he? no sirree. )
( iii and iv. in which grace is not something people are born with, and this proves it )
( these little cottages may be in serious need of fixing up, but quite frankly julian hasn't lived anywhere so nice in a long, long time. this is a major positive, in spite of all the difficulties he's facing elsewhere during this adjustment period. i mean, why not look on the bright side? it's downright roomy compared to the holes-in-the-wall he lives and stays in most of the time back on the south end. he could have guests over! throw parties! entertain! relax! the possibilities are simply endless without the threat of the hangman's noose to think about right this particular second, and that's something to latch onto.
for a little while. until the crippling insecurity gets the better of him.
so he gets to settling in. come midday the next day, it's looking downright decent. portia would be proud of him! he's carting a dustbin to the trash outside when he stops to appreciate, sort of for the first time, the scenery. the fact that he's got neighbors. how strangely un-dreamlike this feels. if everything else was baffling unreality, this is... is this living? what is this?
no time for philosophizing. here's a question: you know what sucks about being very tall? getting hit upside the head with a frantically whizzing drone while you're standing around holding a pan full of floor dust. malak, his faithful raven companion, gives a piercing squawk of alarm mere seconds before it connects, and of course julian turns to look at him, not at the contraption sailing straight toward his head. it whangs him in the temple and he beefs it straight into the dirt, yelping and then sputtering as the dust he'd been holding puffs up in a plume all around him.
this assault is unappreciated. the raven takes flight and dives after the offending drone, screaming his feathery head off. julian gets up in time to see the flurry of feathers and quickly scrambles to his feet. )
Wait—don't chase it, you'll never be able to take it in a fight! Mala—oomph!
( sorry, did you happen to be chasing that particular drone? because for the second time in this post, julian collides bodily with somebody he may or may not know, and given the size of him, there's a fair bet that he's not the one about to be floored this time. regardless, he offers either a hand up off the floor or a steadying one for a shoulder regardless, grimacing but never missing a beat. )
Oh, perfect, would you help me catch that thing? It's vicious!
( it's like. not even his item it's carrying. don't worry just go with it he has no idea. )
no subject
Which, if he wasn't used to things lungeing into him on the regular - whether he had his shield on him currently or not - might have even ended up with them both on their asses. Luckily, he's pretty sturdy and his reactions are quick, so instead, he plants his feet and reaches out to steady...
...a guy who looks like he's covered in dirt and has a frantic look on his face, as well as what looks like a nasty bruise forming on his temple. Well, whoever this is, he's apparently had A Morning. Brennan can sympathize but lets his gaze travel upward at the strange device currently being dive-bombed by a bird.
He's not actually sure which one this guy is referring to, the strange contraption or the attack bird. ]
Uhh. Which one?
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whatever. not the important thing. the important thing is he's got some help, and as he turns to scout out where these two flying menaces have gone off to, he forgets to take his hand from brennan's arm. almost like he's making sure he doesn't take off and leave him to deal with this alone, only slightly less mindful. )
The round metal thing, of course! The bird is my—oh, hell. He's really going for it. No time to explain. Come on!
( i mean, you've got to hand it to malak. he's really heated about this. it's... nice that he cares? julian's got a long stride and happens to be a bit surprisingly quick for his size, vaulting right over the calf-high little garden fence he'd nearly tripped over before slamming into his new neighbor and bolting in the direction of the chaos. it's hard to say what's louder: malak screeching or the repetitive clangs as he dives at that drone. the Round Metal Thing doesn't seem to be putting up much of a fight in return, though, is it? )
That's not a living thing, is it?
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But it's not like he's going to turn around and ignore the problem in front of him, so he lets himself be dragged without much fuss, not sure if he should be more worried for the frantic man at his side or the pair up above them. ]
I... don't think so? I confess, I've never seen anything like that, but... It seems to be utterly ignoring your bird, however. Do you think you can call off your bird? Will he listen to you?
no subject
( ahead of them, malak manages to crowd his quarry right into a wall. it crashes with a bang and drops to the ground—probably not broken, but at least downed long enough for malak to really let the stupid thing have it, scratching and shrieking as if telling it off while it's... er, defenseless. that at least shortens the chase, although the drone doesn't take long before it's wobbling about and starting to achieve liftoff again. )
You take one side, I'll take the other?
( quick, before it gets up! of course by then julian is starting to wobble a little with double vision. what, like he was just going to walk off a head injury like he usually does? that won't fly (heh) anymore. )
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[ Although considering what he's seen of this bird so far, the thing seems to have a mind of its own. Although it does provide them an opportunity to finally catch the cursed device, so he's grateful for that.
Except then he spots the man at his side start to wobble and he curses under his breath. Damn, he'd thought that bruise on his head looked nasty. Apparently, he'd been right. ]
No. You stay there and try to call your bird off so he doesn't murder me, too.
[ And then he lunges forward, using his momentum to transfer into a downward blow of his fists, right atop the drone. Liftoff officially interrupted - possibly permanently - by the force of that, the drone crashes back towards the ground with a strange sparking and hissing sound and finally goes still. ]
...I think it's dead.
no subject
( if there's an issue, julian evidently doesn't see it. or, rather, he's choosing not to—and why shouldn't he? injuries don't last. this is only a temporary setback. even if they aren't going for the pincer attack idea, he still makes his way along after brennan makes his way forward, keeping one hand on the closest surface to steady himself. sure, yeah, it's a setback, but he'll be fine within minutes and then they can go on with their lives like nothing ever happened.
once they take care of this flying monstrosity, that is.
the... the round one, not malak. who julian whistles for just as brennan goes in for the kill, leaning heavily into that wall. it's not the whistle that does it, but rather both the invasion of his space by a stranger and also his concern for his charge that gets the raven to finally fly off and onto julian's shoulder. he gives a perturbed honk, feathers ruffling as the drone short-circuits. )
Whoof, you didn't show the thing any mercy, did you? ...What in the world is it, anyway?
( sparking, hissing... now, he's been all over, and he's seen things that make lightning like that, sort of—looks like a warning sign to him. )
Er, I'd step clear of that thing if I were you. Those sparks are liable to sting.
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But he appreciates the warning all the same, even if it wasn't strictly necessary. Brennan has lived around too many mages - and one slightly manic dwarven arcanist - to know that sparking is bad and he's already taking a few cautious steps backwards to give it some space. ]
I have no idea what it is, honestly. I've never seen anything like it - even here. But is this what attacked you?
[ Because Julian absolutely looks like he'd just come out on the very worst end of an ambush. ]
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there's a history. it's complicated. would probably be a whole lot less complicated if julian actually understood just what malak is to him, but... it's fine, don't worry about it. and don't worry about his head, either, it's... fine! he's still leaning pretty fully on that wall and blinking the stars out of his eyes, but it's totally fine. )
To be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure. I never even saw it coming! I was just, er... what was I doing again?
( glances down at himself
observes the dust and dirt all over his everything )
Ah—right. I was cleaning, and something hit me out of nowhere. I just assumed that must've been it, since Malak went chasing after it like a bat out of hell...
( malak clucks indignantly. )
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Alright, well, it's not going to attack anyone else for the foreseeable future, so let's get you back to your cottage and then I can check on that head of yours.
[ He's far from a healer, but he's spent enough time on the battlefield - and around those injured otherwise - that he knows the basic methods of medicine.
His hands reach out to help brace the man since he's gonna have to let go of that wall eventually if they want to get him back home. ]
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( kinda funny that it hasn't already, honestly, but it has yet to approach the territory of utterly baffling that it will later. baffling to julian, at least, and for very good reason. at any rate, now that the crisis is averted he can smile it off—which he does, pushing himself away from the wall (with a little bit of aid from those helping hands) and grinning. first with a little bit of quite possibly unwarranted confidence, then... a bit more sheepishly. )
I should be thanking you for the help, as a matter of fact! Do you—er, I haven't got much to offer back at my place just yet, but I can probably scrounge up some tea.
no subject
[ Steering Julian off to the right instead of the way he'd come, he starts guiding them towards his cottage instead. ]
I may have only been here a few weeks now, but I think I can spare some tea and a snack. And I think your head might be worse than you think. You're still bleeding.
[ Granted head wounds tended to do that a lot, but he wasn't about to take any chances. ]
II.
( The thing about Nico is that beneath that confident, mischievous exterior there's a young woman who truly wants to help. She's taken to dipping in during the welcome wagon to offer people directions, give them some pointers, and casually slip in that if anyone needs further assistance she can be found at the best sex shop Aefenglom has to offer, and even though there's now a distinct chill in the air? Noveur is no different. She's there with a basket of fresh muffins on her arm, when—
Ah, shit. Another one, full of hot air and conspiracy theories. A wry smirk settles on her lips as she watches him waffle on about horsefeathers this, taken for a ride that, before she invites herself a little closer and sets her free hand on her hip. )
Oh, sure, it's all total bull. I mean you'd know, wouldn't you? Since you've been here all of ten minutes — more than enough time to get a real understandin' of the place.
( An eyebrow ticks up towards her hairline as amusement settles on her lips, before she reaches into her basket and pulls out a plump chocolate-chip muffin. )
Here. You oughta eat somethin' — it's amazin' how stuff gets a little easier to think on after you've had yourself a snack.
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but alright. alright, fine. julian's smile is appropriately conceding, even if there is still plenty of complete and total resistance in his attitude. skepticism hardly scratches the surface. )
Fair enough. Ah—thank you. Made it yourself?
( yeah alright, he'll have that. he takes the muffin and then proceeds to just move it from hand to hand, occasionally lifting it like he really does mean to eat it, only to overthink his way out of it. )
... Just because I haven't been here long doesn't mean I'm wrong, though. I mean, what they're saying is impossible. I mean, about me. Trust me, I'd know!
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( Nico just raises an eyebrow and points at the muffin in his hands. )
Yup, freshly baked by yours truly. Now eat.
( Have a light scoff: )
And yeah, yeah, magic ain't supposed to be a thing I can do either — but it's funny how things change, huh? Especially when you fall through a mirror an' end up in a whole other world.
( She wiggles her fingers as if to indicate the spookiness of magic. In his defence: Nico had resisted for a time, too, until it became apparent that she'd keep on accidentally blowing things up until she got a handle on her powers. While she can't exactly say it's been smooth sailing since then? It's a heck of a lot better than it had been in the beginning. )
Anyway, it's gonna be a lot easier on you if you don't try so hard restisin' it. Trust me when I say it can go bad pretty quick if you don't.
( Have an easy grin. )
You ever exploded a pot of boiling water? It ain't cute.
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well.
he can. and he will, for as long as possible. but it's hard to stand on solid ground as far as his opinions go when what he really knows about magic could be written around the inside of a thimble. )
I can explode a pot of boiling water without magic perfectly well, too, you know. It's actually not that hard. Not that I'm saying I have, mind you...
( something about that sheepishness says he probably has, in fact, but just ignore that, ok )
You, ah... never studied it before, but you can do it now? Are you sure you weren't just... I don't know, already inclined toward that sort of... thing? Maybe you just didn't know you had it in you!
iv with a twist
His 'oomph' is met with a groan from her, reflexes barely keeping her on her feet. She'd been doing her best to not just outright destroy the stupid things, especially if they were carrying anything delicate. But, the urge to teleport it into the path of a wall is tempting. ]
Alright, I can get us ahead of it -- but not everyone reacts well to teleportation.
[ This is kinder than she normally operates, not usually offering a warning. But, Geralt also hates being teleported and if she was pissed, that was dangerous knowledge. ]
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as soon as he's got the affirmative, and in the same movement as he grabs hold of the fencepost to stay on his feet, julian whirls around in the direction the drone and his pesky, pesky familiar are headed. legs bent, ready to bolt, and then—swaying in place and turning back round again. )
Wait, uh... teleportation? You mean by using magic?
( that is as boiled down as he can possibly get that word, in his mind. the hesitation is evident all over his face, even in spite of the dirt that's now coating it, but it's hard to maintain uncertainty when, a short distance away, malak is screaming his idiot head off and clanging off the side of that drone over and over again. )
I—alright, no time to be choosy. It's not going to hurt, is it?
( okay. maybe a little uncertainty for the road. )
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An arched eyebrow is all he gets in response before she teleports them about 25 feet in front of the drone's path. Lucky for him, it's nowhere near as disorienting an experience as it had been when she'd first started working on it. Though, she wouldn't blame him if he freaked out a bit or needed a breath to find his feet again. Even if there were more pressing matters at hand. At least she wouldn't put him through what she often did when using it as a defensive mechanism. ]
Call off your familiar!
[ The words leave her mouth as she reaches up, trying to use a small shield as a barrier to at least force the contraption closer to the ground. But, with how she had to angle it to ensure the bird didn't also collide with it, there's a fairly good chance the device might be able to bypass it. Worth a shot, though. ]
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still, it takes him a moment to get his bearings, and even once he had he's still a little slow on the uptake: )
My what-?
( he's sure never heard anyone call that feathery nuisance that before. at the very least, he puts two and two together almost as soon as he's asked, chin lifting to spot where the two of them have gotten to with a grimace. )
But he doesn't listen to me! —Malak, let the lady do her thing, would you?
( yeah... malak doesn't care about letting the lady do her thing. at least not until the drone crashes into the barrier and seems to almost try to skid around it, whirring mechanically and giving off a few sparks that the raven quickly shrieks and darts away from. not quite enough to drop the thing to the ground, but it's been hindered, at least. )
Get it a little lower and I can probably grab it—
( one hand out, he's already moving forward to reach out and try. he's certainly tall enough. just have to not run into that barrier himself... )
no subject
The lack of control of his familiar was already evident before she said anything, but there’s still a momentary rolling of her eyes at this disaster of an outing. She has half a mind to just let the drone carry on and go grab a glass of wine. Try again later.
But then the stranger is moving forward and the drone is letting off a few sparks. She has to drop the shield before he runs into it, quickly trying to recast it with an adjustment so it’s more angled to keep it from flying overhead. With the added concentration, her choker flares to life slightly, light shining from it as she focuses.
The drone crashes into the barrier once more, a few feet behind her as she spins on her heels. While she doesn’t care if she destroys the bloody thing, she’d rather not destroy whatever it’s carrying. It’s a little lower to the ground, but not by much. ]
I can’t hold it for long!
[ The device was already whirring angrily and trying to skirt around the barrier, Yennefer having to expend more magic just trying to keep it contained. While the witch/witch bond was powerful, she still had limitations to her powers. Especially when turning it into a flaming pile of metal wasn’t an option. ]
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oh, right. need to hurry. )
Right—little help, Malak?
( this time, either the bird is listening or they're just on the same wavelength, because a moment later, as julian is moving with one hand forward to stop himself from running into anything he can't see and one hand up to reach, malak dives down and gives the drone a hard push from above. that's enough to knock it within reach, and julian grabs hold of it by it's flailing little arms. first in one hand, then wrangling it into both, clutching the sizzling thing to his chest. )
Got it! Oof, it's still got some fight in it... hold still!
( once he's sure he does, in fact, got it and that it's not just going to get free of his grasp and sail away again. eventually it seems to give up with a very defeated-sounding mechanical whirr. )
apologies for the delay, holidays/rl emergency happened
When the bird actually responds to his call, she’s momentarily impressed. Once Julian has a hold on it, she drops the shield -- pulling a dagger out of her boot to stab the device if it continued to fight. Consider her over this whole situation, truthfully. But, then it calms and she slips the dagger back in her boot as if nothing happened. Yennefer sighs, brushing a few stray black strands of hair out of her face. ]
Well. That was eventful.
[ Yennefer takes a few steps towards the device, trying to see the contents it was fighting to deliver. Hopefully, it belongs to Jaskier and this nightmare of a mess can be done. ]